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IAEA increasingly worried about possible Iran nukes

Iran Materials 3 September 2011 00:24 (UTC +04:00)
Fresh information about Iran's alleged nuclear weapons development is increasingly worrying the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which also said in a report Friday that Tehran is forging ahead with its nuclear enrichment work.
IAEA increasingly worried about possible Iran nukes

Fresh information about Iran's alleged nuclear weapons development is increasingly worrying the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which also said in a report Friday that Tehran is forging ahead with its nuclear enrichment work.

The restricted report, which the German Press Agency dpa obtained, did not specify what kind of new information the Vienna-based agency had received.

"Information continues to come," a senior diplomat closely following the IAEA's work said. The intelligence material the nuclear agency receives is first-hand information from witnesses inside Iran, he added.

"In particular, the Agency is increasingly concerned about the possible existence in Iran of past or current undisclosed nuclear related activities ... including activities related to the development of a nuclear payload of a missile ...," the report said.

Iran's nuclear chief Fereydoun Abbasi announced earlier this summer that his country would start discussing the weapons allegations only under certain conditions.

Tehran has denied having any military nuclear goals and says it wants to build up a nuclear programme to make energy and and other civilian applications.

The report by IAEA chief Yukiya Amano made clear that Iran has been moving ahead with its programmes to enrich uranium and turn it into nuclear fuel for reactors without any foreign help, despite orders by the UN Security Council to stop.

Amano confirmed that installation of centrifuges has begun at the so-called Fordo facility, which Iran had only belatedly declared in 2009.

When the IAEA chief inspector Herman Nackaerts was invited to Fordo, as well as a development facility for advanced centrifuges and a nuclear fuel fabrication plant, it was clear that Iran wanted to show off its capabilities, diplomats who following the investigation said.

"The aim is to become independent in all aspects of the fuel cycle," the senior diplomat said. "They have mistrust in the west in providing them technology."

On Monday, nuclear chief Abbasi effectively ruled out a quick solution in nuclear talks with world powers, and rejected a Russian proposal to ease sanctions step-by-step in exchange for Iranian cooperation.

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